LN Refuge& Bodhichitta (3 May 2013)

0:27 almost all the life because when I Report an error in the passage at 0:27 Highlight the passage at 0:27

0:46 Where's Allison? I thought I'd see Allison. Report an error in the passage at 0:46 Highlight the passage at 0:46

0:59 I guess you all know Allison. Report an error in the passage at 0:59 Highlight the passage at 0:59

1:05 Okay. Well, good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming. And it's my first time at the new Seichen Ling, so this is really great. Very nice to see you and Anne and lots of people. Some new people I haven't met before, which is good, which means that Seichen Ling is growing. Report an error in the passage at 1:05 Highlight the passage at 1:05

1:23 I guess it's a big shift to come out here. But anyway, thanks for coming and the new truck. Did you see it, David? It's just like yours. Yeah. I think you planned to see it. So, Mineral Chucky has been asking me to come up here for quite some time. In my present capacity, I'm the merely labeled director at Land O 'Connell Biding. And so I'm pretty busy. Report an error in the passage at 1:23 Highlight the passage at 1:23

1:59 So I haven't been able to do much traveling or teaching or anything like that. We just, I don't know what we do. What do we do? It's busy, you know. Yeah, there's a lot of that. But I was asked to come to the Big Love Day. Let me move this out a little bit more. At Vajrapani. I guess you guys know about that. All of you here know about that on Sunday at Vajrapani. Report an error in the passage at 1:59 Highlight the passage at 1:59

2:31 And, um. So it kind of worked out perfectly because I think she already had mentioned these days and that. And so I was kind of on the theme of Big Love Day. I thought, since I was extremely fortunate to meet Lama Tsipton Yeshe who started this organization, I thought it might be nice to do something with Lama Yeshe's teachings. Report an error in the passage at 2:31 Highlight the passage at 2:31

3:00 and Share as best I can a bit about Lhami Eshi through his style and what I learned from him because I really can say I don't think I would be here if it weren't for Lhami Eshi. I don't know if any other Tibetan Buddhist master could have really hooked me like he did. Even Lama Zopa Rinpoche, I'm not sure. Report an error in the passage at 3:00 Highlight the passage at 3:00

3:26 It's nothing against Rinpoche. It's just the karma I had with Lhami Eshi was extremely strong. He kind of just blew my mind. And I was pretty young then too. But my first teaching from Lama was on refuge. And I used to have the cassette tape of his talk. And I loaned it to somebody and never got it back. Report an error in the passage at 3:26 Highlight the passage at 3:26

3:59 And I recently, you know, last week, emailed Nick Rebush and said, Figuring they must have it because it's in the archive and it turns out they don't have it. Because I wanted to play some of it for you. Report an error in the passage at 3:59 Highlight the passage at 3:59

4:17 Because it was that one talk, the first talk with Lama that made me realize that this was what I wanted to do with my life. This was like I finally came home. I don't know how many of you have had that experience when you walk into a Dharma center and it's like, oh. I'm finally at home. I've been feeling like an outcast all my life and now I feel like I belong somewhere and these are my people. I think that's what refuge is. Report an error in the passage at 4:17 Highlight the passage at 4:17

4:50 Refuge is when you feel like you've come home. Report an error in the passage at 4:50 Highlight the passage at 4:50

4:58 There's outer refuge and inner refuge and Lama talked a lot about that. I think... And this is, you know, and. Report an error in the passage at 4:58 Highlight the passage at 4:58

5:09 Sorry, I always get teary. Well, let me ask you. I think the thing about why I wanted to do this is because Galupa is kind of, our teachings are quite traditional and Lama Yashi was, as Carol and I were talking about, even though he kept strictly to the tradition, he didn't teach in a traditional way. Report an error in the passage at 5:09 Highlight the passage at 5:09

5:35 He was such a master of the teachings that Only once, I think, did I see him actually go through a commentary. You know, most Llamas, they have the text and they go through the text and they talk about it and they go through the text. Lama was just extemporaneous all the time. Because he was such an expert. Oh, hi Teresa, I didn't even see you. Report an error in the passage at 5:35 Highlight the passage at 5:35

6:01 And after he passed away, Glenn Mullen, maybe some of you know who Glenn Mullen is, he sent out... I think it was from Glenn, one of the anecdotes about Lama's life. And one of them was, I don't know how many of you have been to Dharamsala, but there's a big temple there and all the monks gather and His Holiness teaches. Report an error in the passage at 6:01 Highlight the passage at 6:01

6:26 And this was a long time ago and it may have even been in Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 6:26 Highlight the passage at 6:26

6:35 They were all gathered and all the monks from Laksera and Ganden and they were all there, you know, they were debating and taking something or other and there was some line in some text that the Dalai Lama asked about. And he said, you know, some philosophical, I'm sure it was, you know, Majumika philosophy, some kind of philosophical thing. Report an error in the passage at 6:35 Highlight the passage at 6:35

6:56 And the Dalai Lama had a question about the text, and he said, well, you know, what do you think this means? And different geshis said different things, you know, and Lama never took a geshi degree because he thought it was just political, because you just, you know, you needed a lot of money to become a geshi, and so he didn't want to do that. Report an error in the passage at 6:56 Highlight the passage at 6:56

7:11 He said, well, anyway, geshi yeshi does not sound funny. You know? So, because he was definitely, for lack of a better, he was like a child of the 60s himself. I mean, he was quite... Report an error in the passage at 7:11 Highlight the passage at 7:11

7:28 But anyway, so finally, you know, there's this debate going on. Lama Yeshi stood up and he says, you know, I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was something to the degree like, you know, that text is wrong. Report an error in the passage at 7:28 Highlight the passage at 7:28

7:42 You know, he was so confident in his own philosophical understanding that he could actually stand up in the crowd of all of them and say the problem is that that text is wrong. And the Dalai Lama said he was right. So that just shows you how... Not only intelligent he was, but how incredibly brave he was. And in the beginning, all the Tibetans were like, what are you doing with those Western people? Report an error in the passage at 7:42 Highlight the passage at 7:42

8:08 They call them Indies. It's like a totally waste of time. They can't learn Dharma. I'm beginning to think they're right now. Report an error in the passage at 8:08 Highlight the passage at 8:08

8:18 After going at it for 30-something years, I'm like, well, maybe I can't do this. But that's not really true. It's just harder than we think. I know that the Dalai Lama says, because back then they were just like pouring out tantric teachings, you know, just tantra just flowing out of the Tibetans, you know, it's not quite that easy, it's not like that quite so much now. Report an error in the passage at 8:18 Highlight the passage at 8:18

8:42 And the Dalai Lama said later, you know, you should take a lot of caution in getting involved in highest yoga tantra because you can do things like, you know, what I've done, you go off and do these really extensive long retreats and... Nothing really happens, you know, too much. And then you can get really discouraged and think it doesn't work. And then you do lose your refuge. So, oh, there's Lee. Report an error in the passage at 8:42 Highlight the passage at 8:42

9:06 So, Lama's talk on refuge really impressed me. And then they were, this was before Vajrapani had Vajrapani. It was just at a Boy Scout camp up in the Sierras. Report an error in the passage at 9:06 Highlight the passage at 9:06

9:26 I mean, I think they had the property, but they didn't have any facilities there. And so we were rich, so you know, Rich Prince, he was kind of organizing for us to transcribe it. So we were transcribing the teachings every day after Lama taught them. It was like a two-week retreat, a chin-raising retreat. And so I ended up being given the refuge talk to transcribe. Report an error in the passage at 9:26 Highlight the passage at 9:26

9:48 So then I even got to hear it again, you know, and so then I just, I kind of really, really got it. So I have the, I didn't, I don't have a tape, but I do have some of the transcript and I thought I would read a little bit of it and just sort of comment on it because the things that Lama says, I don't really hear from anybody else, you know, and they really just get to the point because I think, you know, Lama just taught from his experience and his experience was extremely Report an error in the passage at 9:48 Highlight the passage at 9:48

10:32 he I'll get to I'll just say a little bit more than we'll you know do our prayers and stuff but he Report an error in the passage at 10:32 Highlight the passage at 10:32

10:41 He said that probably the best way to take refuge is without any words at all. And so the reason I wanted to do this is because... We learn a little about refuge and we sit down and we go, and does anybody ever even really think about what they're saying when they do it? You know, it's at the beginning of every single practice. It's supposed to be the heart of what we do. But we all just, now I'm doing something else. Report an error in the passage at 10:41 Highlight the passage at 10:41

11:11 And then we get into what we're doing. And in actual fact, you know, you could spend a whole hour just meditating on refuge and it would probably be the most profound thing you ever did. Report an error in the passage at 11:11 Highlight the passage at 11:11

11:22 Because... Refuge is where we start. And refuge is where we end. And refuge is in the middle. Refuge in Buddha Dharma is the foundation for everything. So we can talk about what it means, what refuge is. But I think it's like seeing, for me it's like seeing that there's another reality, another result, another experience. Report an error in the passage at 11:22 Highlight the passage at 11:22

11:27 and refugees it you know it's like Report an error in the passage at 11:27 Highlight the passage at 11:27

11:55 And having faith that we can develop that within our own minds. And we get a taste of it when we are around high lamas or some kind of experience of what it means to be transcended from our normal anxieties and fears and worries and blah-de-blah-blahs that go on all the time. And when that is transcended and we're able to experience the true nature of our own mind, that's what refuge is. That is the experience of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 11:55 Highlight the passage at 11:55

12:34 And so Lama was so great because you could just get that. Just sitting with him, you'd get that. You'd get that taste of the nature of your own mind. The Dzogchen people talk about the pointing out instruction. Lama was constantly... Just pointing it out. You just had to sit with him and your mind was just going to stop at a certain point. Report an error in the passage at 12:34 Highlight the passage at 12:34

13:00 You just kind of get this, at least it happened for me that way, you get this vast experience and that's like, oh, this is my refuge. Report an error in the passage at 13:00 Highlight the passage at 13:00

13:11 So anyway, so let's take refuge in the traditional way and then we'll go on. Report an error in the passage at 13:11 Highlight the passage at 13:11

13:22 I don't really know this book that well. Report an error in the passage at 13:22 Highlight the passage at 13:22

13:35 So anyway, thanks for inviting me, Chokie, to come here. I always have some aversion to sitting up here. But it's really good for me to remember these things too. Report an error in the passage at 13:35 Highlight the passage at 13:35

13:49 So, oops, there's no glasses. Page what? 92? Report an error in the passage at 13:49 Highlight the passage at 13:49

14:01 Alrighty, so there's a visualization that you do before you set up your refuge. Report an error in the passage at 14:01 Highlight the passage at 14:01

14:13 Because we might just do this really slowly, okay? We're still going to do the other prayers, but I think we're just going to kind of go through this and break it down, you know. So, you know, the first thing we need to think about are the objects of refuge, right? So, you know, we know what that is, is that, you know, the Buddha Dharma and Saṅgha. And, of course, in more advanced teachings, you know, you can have, like, really elaborate merit fields, like in the Lama Tsongkhapa, or if you're doing tantric practice, you're taking, you know, the... Report an error in the passage at 14:13 Highlight the passage at 14:13

14:47 The guru appears in the form of the deity. But the most simplest refuge is, you know, we can just have Buddha. And in the heart of the Buddha is our Lama, the one that we find, like for most of you, it's probably Geshe Dagpa, the person who gives you the teachings, you know, the one that you have the heart connection with. Report an error in the passage at 14:47 Highlight the passage at 14:47

15:09 And then, yeah, that's good enough, I think. So, for now, we just do it really simple. And then, Report an error in the passage at 15:09 Highlight the passage at 15:09

15:23 So that's the Buddha and the Dharma. And the thing about the Buddha and the teacher, I think that's the most important thing, is we have to have some, in order to take refuge, we have to have some kind of confidence in the path. Report an error in the passage at 15:23 Highlight the passage at 15:23

15:44 And without a living example of someone who embodies the path, there's almost no way to have confidence in it. Because then it's just something that, I mean, we can have faith and we can believe in it. But, you know, we can also have faith and believe in fairy tales. Or we can have faith and believe in Superman. You know, we can have faith and believe in Michael Jackson. But it really helps to, you know, see a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 15:44 Highlight the passage at 15:44

16:14 You know, that's why the Dalai Lama is so precious. You know, we can go to Dalai Lama and be with him and understand that there is... Something I can have confidence in. And something then, because faith in Buddhism isn't blind faith. Faith is reasoned belief. It means it's based on, I have confidence in something that I have at least, what's the word, you know, interpolate. Report an error in the passage at 16:14 Highlight the passage at 16:14

16:41 or, know, they talk. At least I can deduce that that's possible. I can get there through deduction. That if this is true, then this is true. So if I can be in the presence of someone like Gishidak Bower's Holiness and feel their great qualities, then it not only inspires me to want to be like them, but it also gives me the confidence that I can be like them. Report an error in the passage at 16:41 Highlight the passage at 16:41

17:06 And that's something that Lama made very... He made that really important. He also said that you need to have some taste within your own mind that is possible. Because otherwise, it's really hard to think that it is possible. It's sort of like if you want to be a rock star, at least you can pick up a guitar and play two chords. Report an error in the passage at 17:06 Highlight the passage at 17:06

17:30 But if you want to be a Buddha, at least you can have some experience, some little taste. Of the clarity of my own mind or the true nature of my own mind and the fact that it is possible for delusions to be purified. You have to have some experience that that could happen and I think everybody has enough of an experience to... Report an error in the passage at 17:30 Highlight the passage at 17:30

17:54 Maybe you were angry for a second and you were able to control it one time. You can say, oh, I let go of it that time. Hey, pretty good. So maybe I can let go of it another time. So it's like even our little baby experiences, we understand because we all have the same minds. We're all humans. So we can all understand that we can learn and we can grow and we can change. Report an error in the passage at 17:54 Highlight the passage at 17:54

18:17 So the Buddha, it's like we have to recognize where we are in order to take refuge. First we have to establish the Buddha, but then also establish where we are. So it's really helpful then to think about where you are. Like all the times that you weren't able to control your anger. And all the times that... Report an error in the passage at 18:17 Highlight the passage at 18:17

18:42 You're overwhelmed. I was just talking to a friend of mine about Johnny Cash and the burning ring of desire. That burn, burn, burn. That burning ring of fire. That's pretty burning. That's a pretty intense experience. In this culture, that's what we want. That's our refuge, is that burning ring of fire. I think that once we study Dharma enough to realize, or once you've had a relationship end and felt the... Report an error in the passage at 18:42 Highlight the passage at 18:42

19:11 The reverse of when that desire isn't getting, and you feel how painful it is. It's like then you begin to realize that, oh, desire is really painful. Because right now it feels really good, but if I don't get that, it's going to be painful. And even when you're in a relationship, it's always painful because your expectations, nobody can ever meet your expectations. Report an error in the passage at 19:11 Highlight the passage at 19:11

19:33 So, I mean, even in our lives, here we are at the cream of... We're the top of the human society right here in San Francisco. You can't get better than this, I don't think, unless maybe you're living in Beverly Hills. Report an error in the passage at 19:33 Highlight the passage at 19:33

19:52 And if this is the best, then I think we all want something better. And so the Buddha is the example of that. So without even having to go into the traditional... but... Report an error in the passage at 19:52 Highlight the passage at 19:52

20:10 Teachings on the lower realms and things like that. All we have to do is really look at our own lives and look into the lives of the rest of the human beings, not even mention the animals on this planet. Report an error in the passage at 20:10 Highlight the passage at 20:10

20:25 Look at the people in Africa and Iraq and Afghanistan and then we understand that this country is perpetuating that and thinking about the karma that we are going to. A crew, you know, because we're involved in those horrible things. And so, I mean, I don't think I need to really talk too much about the dissatisfaction of our, the dissatisfactory nature of where we are. Report an error in the passage at 20:25 Highlight the passage at 20:25

20:55 I mean, it's, I know in the beginning it seems really hard. I remember when I first started reading Dharma books, I was just, you know, a kid. I was, you know, I was in the ninth grade. I already got this, you know, like... What's wrong with desire? Desire is great. It took me a really long time to understand that desire isn't great. I mean, maybe 20 years. Report an error in the passage at 20:55 Highlight the passage at 20:55

21:19 So maybe you don't know that yet. But even if desire is still your friend, there are plenty of other mental and physical states that are not your friend. I mean, Buddha was so honest. And really, I think if we... Can put aside the way we've been raised about how everything's great. We can kind of begin to take an honest look at our lives than wanting something less stressful. Report an error in the passage at 21:19 Highlight the passage at 21:19

21:55 Even if you just want stress reduction, taking refuge is a good thing. Not to mention a better future life. So they talk about the causes of refuge are fear of future. you know. Report an error in the passage at 21:55 Highlight the passage at 21:55

22:12 Unsuffering faith in the Buddha, in the Dharma, in the Saṅgha. And not all teachings, but the Sakyas for sure. The third one is compassion. Because, you know, refuge, I mean, we're taking refuge pretty much for ourselves in the first place. But actually, you know, if we want to become a Buddha, then we're also thinking about everybody else that's having a bad time. So when we take refuge... Report an error in the passage at 22:12 Highlight the passage at 22:12

22:42 We always visualize, I know you know this, but I'm just going to say it again, we always visualize your father on your right and your mother on your left and all the beings, you know, particularly people that you know that are suffering, but you can imagine that you're in a limitless sea of the, how many, six billion humans and probably 200 billion animals and insects and not to mention the ghosts and, you know, if you believe in the other realms, I mean, You sort of don't really have to. You can just look at the realms that we see and understand that we want to make something better. Report an error in the passage at 22:42 Highlight the passage at 22:42

23:22 And I think the really unfortunate thing is that I don't think there's anyone who doesn't want to make their life better. It's just that we don't know the right way to go about doing it. And even I still have trouble sometimes because it's like, you know, I think, well... Maybe it would be better if I went around a homeless shelter. Or maybe it would be better if I joined the Peace Corps. Or maybe it would be better if I was a high school teacher. And I'm not putting those things down. Report an error in the passage at 23:22 Highlight the passage at 23:22

23:55 But they don't bring any ultimate relief, those things. I mean, we can just look back at the history. I mean, what do we have, like 2,000 years of history? Has all that stuff made anything any better? You know, they've been good people around for a long time. You know, I mean, we can read the history books. There have been some really great people around. But when you look at the world today, you know, it's just as bad as if not worse. Report an error in the passage at 23:55 Highlight the passage at 23:55

24:23 I mean, superficially it's better for us, you know, for the white people and the people in the first world. But, you know, the people who live in the third world, they're not living in much different than, you know, people in England a hundred years ago, you know. They don't have any rights. They work in sweatshops. Report an error in the passage at 24:23 Highlight the passage at 24:23

24:41 They're starving. So it's like we have all these benevolent things, but it doesn't really get better. And I think that's something that I have a really hard time getting myself because I grew up in Berkeley and we're all social activists and we're all going to save the world and do all this and that. Report an error in the passage at 24:41 Highlight the passage at 24:41

25:02 And that was kind of like, I didn't even know there was such a thing as an activist because that's what everybody was. Everyone was an activist. you know. And I just thought, that's what you did. That was what we did. That's what all human beings do until I left Berkeley and I thought, oh no, some people just want to make money. Report an error in the passage at 25:02 Highlight the passage at 25:02

25:24 No, it's true, really. So it's still kind of hard for me to decondition myself to think that something like taking refuge is going to save the world. Report an error in the passage at 25:24 Highlight the passage at 25:24

25:38 And I'll share this with you too. you know, Report an error in the passage at 25:38 Highlight the passage at 25:38

25:42 we get to When I came out of my, the last long retreat I did, it was, I was in retreat from 2000 to 2004 down at Vajrapani and a lot of stuff happened then, you know, like 2001, you know, the whole United States changed. You know, suddenly we just got into this police state, you know, and the homeland security and, you know, bombing countries again and it's just as crazy as when I was a kid, you know. Report an error in the passage at 25:42 Highlight the passage at 25:42

26:15 So I was like, wow, you know. And also, you know, when you're in retreat, you know, you don't, it's hard to believe that you're doing anything, you know, to help people, really. I mean, it takes a lot of faith to do a long retreat. You gotta, you know, cause, I mean, sometimes I'd look at myself going, God, if somebody looked at me, just sitting here reciting gibberish, eight hours a day, you know, they would think I was totally lost my mind. Report an error in the passage at 26:15 Highlight the passage at 26:15

26:40 You know? You know, over and over and over again, you know. So I came out of retreat and I was like, well, maybe we should go to, this is when I thought, well, maybe we should go to Washington D.C. and, you know, start a homeless shelter or something. You know, I just really wanted to do something more, you know. Report an error in the passage at 26:40 Highlight the passage at 26:40

26:57 And I went to Riba Rinpoche. I've told you guys this. I went to Riba Rinpoche, great Riba Rinpoche. I don't know if any of you knew Riba Rinpoche, but he was like really, you know, he was like the only Lama that could walk into the Dalai Lama's quarters without any announcement. I mean, he was, he was the real deal. Report an error in the passage at 26:57 Highlight the passage at 26:57

27:18 And he's the one who asked me to retreat. So when I went to offer him my retreat experience, I said, you know, one of the things I said was, but I'm so concerned. You know, because, you know, I've been, you know, I've been an environmentalist for 30 years and it's getting worse and worse all the time. Report an error in the passage at 27:18 Highlight the passage at 27:18

27:33 And, you know, it's just nothing, you know, we've been anti-war people. It's just getting worse and worse all the time. Wouldn't it be better to go be out there and try to do something? And you know what he said? He said, there are other planets, dear. Report an error in the passage at 27:33 Highlight the passage at 27:33

27:47 There are other universes, dear. This one can come and go. Much more important to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 27:47 Highlight the passage at 27:47

27:58 I mean, it's such a vast view. So we have to keep that in mind. Buddhism is just so amazing because it's just so beyond our comprehension, the vastness of the sentient beings. And how long it takes to get enlightened. And here we are just these little ants, you know. We're just like these little ants walking along the trail, you know. Report an error in the passage at 27:58 Highlight the passage at 27:58

28:28 But the thing is, it's like if you really think about it, and when you meet realized beings, and you see how different they are, then you understand that this isn't a fairy tale. You know, that is something very real. And as odd as it is, perhaps it's really, really worthwhile. And so, you know, that's why, you know, we're doing it in Shinny Land because we need, I mean, you know, we need more examples that will inspire people, you know. Report an error in the passage at 28:28 Highlight the passage at 28:28

29:10 And so, and it takes a lot of courage to go do something like that. But without those examples... No one's going to get inspired to do anything. So anyway, so refuge in fear, faith, compassion for all sentient beings. And then, so there's the Buddha, and then we have beings all around us, our enemies we can put in front of us, and then we're generating our fear of wanting to be in this world more. Report an error in the passage at 29:10 Highlight the passage at 29:10

29:48 And... Confidence and faith that there's a way out and compassion for all Siddhi beings. And then there's the Dharma jewel. And what the Dharma is, I'll read you a little bit later what Lama says, but the Dharma, the actual refuge is in emptiness. Because the actual refuge is that which transcends, that cuts all the delusions. Report an error in the passage at 29:48 Highlight the passage at 29:48

30:18 what the... You don't often read this in the text, you know, because they say the Dharma, you know, the Dharma jewels emptiness. But I think that compassion is really important because compassion brings you to the space where you can meditate on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 30:18 Highlight the passage at 30:18

30:40 Because what I've found, you know, is that when my mind is really agitated, you know, or my mind is really, you know, gone with going with something, if I try to meditate on emptiness, it doesn't... Because I'm not a big, you know, I haven't realized emptiness. I can't cut it so much. But if I actually sit down and use compassion, you know, that is the antidote that always works for me. Report an error in the passage at 30:40 Highlight the passage at 30:40

31:06 Like, if I think about that other person, you know, the person I'm having trouble with, or myself, you know, if I can start to generate compassion for myself, like say I did something and I'm beating myself up for it, you know, and I can't, if I start to think about it, I go, oh. She didn't mean, you know, you're doing the best you can. You know, I mean, you know, treat yourself like you would your own little kid, you know, if I had a little kid. Report an error in the passage at 31:06 Highlight the passage at 31:06

31:36 Or, you know, put yourself in that other person's position, you know. Well, you know, they didn't really, you know, it seems like you can always then open your heart. And I think that's why they talk about, you know, wisdom and compassion being the two wings of the bird, because... I don't think you can meditate on emptiness until you have an open heart. At least that's my experience. So when you take refuge in the Dharma, for me it's the compassion and the emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 31:36 Highlight the passage at 31:36

32:09 And then the Saṅgha, taking refuge in the Saṅgha, well, you know, there's all these kind of gray lines about the Saṅgha, but there's the absolute Saṅgha. Which are the beings who have realized emptiness, like many of our lamas. And then there's the relative Saṅgha, which is us. There's four ladies here. And I was telling Carol earlier, it's like we may not always be the best examples, you know, but at least we're wearing the robes. Report an error in the passage at 32:09 Highlight the passage at 32:09

32:54 And I think that because... The absolute saṅgha could be anybody. The absolute saṅgha could even be a dog or a bridge, they say. So then who are you going to take refuge in? So it's very helpful to have a physical manifestation to take refuge in. And I know this is hard for us in the West, I think, too. Report an error in the passage at 32:54 Highlight the passage at 32:54

33:21 But it is important for there to be some people in robes. So how nice that you're in robes now. Report an error in the passage at 33:21 Highlight the passage at 33:21

33:31 And then that's a big responsibility for us because then we're supposed to, you know, play the part. Report an error in the passage at 33:31 Highlight the passage at 33:31

33:43 And, you know, we just do the best we can. But it's good that that's there because people, you know, it's great to have that representation of the Buddha, you know. And then, of course, there's also, you know, in a lot of Buddhist communities, in fact, most Western Buddhist communities, Don't have ordained people, because I think Kalupa is pretty small. And, you know, they say the Saṅgha is everybody, and I use that too, because, you know, we really need to have friends. Report an error in the passage at 33:43 Highlight the passage at 33:43

34:21 You know, because, unfortunately, I know I'm like this, and I think most human beings, you know, we look around and see what our neighbors are doing. You know, we don't have enough faith in ourselves to step out of the box. You know, we need someone, you know, what's he doing, what's he doing, and we always kind of like, you know. And so it's really good to have Dharma friends, because if you don't have Dharma friends, it's almost impossible. Report an error in the passage at 34:21 Highlight the passage at 34:21

34:53 I mean, you can have the Buddha, you can have the Dharma, but if you don't have people to hang around with that decided that they're not going to lie and kill and steal and get drunk and, you know, whatever. Steal each other's wives. I mean, there's plenty of good moral people out there. But even so, it's really nice to walk into somebody's house and see a Buddha statue. Report an error in the passage at 34:53 Highlight the passage at 34:53

35:19 You just feel really at home. And if we didn't have that kind of support, I know it would be really, really difficult. I think married couples who are both in the Dharma, it's really, really good. You know, they can both really help each other a lot. So that's how you set up your refuge. And, you know, when I did my long retreats, I would often spend a half an hour just taking refuge, just setting it all up and putting it all together. Report an error in the passage at 35:19 Highlight the passage at 35:19

35:54 You know, because it's like, I don't know, I'm talking a lot, but it's kind of like, how could I say it? You know, it's like before you start your practice, Report an error in the passage at 35:54 Highlight the passage at 35:54

36:11 I don't know what's coming to my mind now, but if you're going to play tennis, you have to have a court. You have to have a place to play tennis. You can't just be standing out in the street hitting your tennis ball. And for me, refuge is like that. Refuge is like the tennis court, where you go to play tennis. Report an error in the passage at 36:11 Highlight the passage at 36:11

36:32 But every time you want to go play tennis, you need to go to the court. So it's like every time you want to do a Dharma practice, you need... To set up the space. And that's refuge, which is why I wanted to do this, because we just zip through it. And then we're playing tennis with no court. Report an error in the passage at 36:32 Highlight the passage at 36:32

36:53 And so when you set up this environment that's based on refuge, then the whole rest of your meditation practice is held within that. know? And In a way, it's sort of like refuge and bodhicitta. For me, they're like one and the same thing. Because your refuge is your bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 36:53 Highlight the passage at 36:53

37:21 That is the court. And so you go through the visualizations and you sit and you think. But it's kind of like I was saying before about emptiness and compassion. When I open my heart with the bodhicitta, then my mind takes refuge. Then I can find that place to relax. Because we need to relax into refuge. Report an error in the passage at 37:21 Highlight the passage at 37:21

37:48 Refuge is a state of relaxation. Does that make sense? So like, what's your name? Mary Beth just went to a yoga class. I think yoga classes are really great because that's that space of refuge. If you finish your yoga class and you're doing your whatever it is, Corpse pose. And your mind just goes into that space. Report an error in the passage at 37:48 Highlight the passage at 37:48

38:19 And if you mix that calm, relaxed state with experience of taking refuge in the Buddha Dharma and Saṅgha and compassion, then that's what you're looking for when you're sitting up and meditating, is that space after a yoga class or after a run or after, I couldn't say a glass of wine. Report an error in the passage at 38:19 Highlight the passage at 38:19

38:44 Because then you're kind of, you know. But you know what I'm saying, it's a very relaxed place and that's why we get the nine round breathing and these kind of things there to help us relax. So I think that what we'll do then is we'll just, now that I said all this stuff, I guess it was okay to give a background. Report an error in the passage at 38:44 Highlight the passage at 38:44

39:09 So when you get teachings on the Lama Tsopa, they say the beginning of the Lama Tsopa, Is two things, posture and breathing. Because that's how you get into that place. So if you don't take yoga classes or swimming or running or tai chi or some way to learn to be physically relaxed, I highly recommend you do that because your Dharma practice will get much, much better. Report an error in the passage at 39:09 Highlight the passage at 39:09

39:45 Because it's like... In Tantra, they say the mind rides on the winds. And so if the winds are agitated, there's no hope. If you're riding a wild horse, you can't just tell the horse to slow down. So physical exercise slows the horse down. They call it the wind horse. That's what that's about. So that the winds slow down. And also the stress. It's really important to exercise. Report an error in the passage at 39:45 Highlight the passage at 39:45

40:18 So that's why prostrations are so great. So if you start, get up in the morning, do 35 Buddhas, sit down and do some breathing meditation, then you're ready to Report an error in the passage at 40:18 Highlight the passage at 40:18

40:32 get up and do 35. Report an error in the passage at 40:32 Highlight the passage at 40:32

40:40 Maybe I'll guide us through just setting up the posture. People like that when I do that. So we don't have to sit in the Vajra posture, but at least with your legs crossed or in a chair, it doesn't matter. Just be comfortable. and if you're and it's If you're in a chair, make sure your thighs aren't too squished on the chair so that your feet are a little bit elevated. Report an error in the passage at 40:40 Highlight the passage at 40:40

41:09 Make sure there's enough, like maybe put a pillow under your feet or something. And then the next thing is to either, I think in the beginning it's kind of nice to close your eyes, it helps to relax, but it's also important to learn to meditate with your eyes slightly open too, I think. Whatever is comfortable for you. So then the next thing that I find helpful is make sure your pants are loose so that your stomach, your belly can relax. Report an error in the passage at 41:09 Highlight the passage at 41:09

41:44 I think I might loosen my belly. And then the next thing is to straighten up your spine. And then sometimes it's helpful to take your pelvis and like rock it forward and back or side to side. Until you can find a place, like for me, I kind of put my pelvis a little bit forward than where I would just be sitting like back, you know, so that just a little bit forward so that it helps to let the belly let go and relax. Report an error in the passage at 41:44 Highlight the passage at 41:44

42:25 And if you're not, you know, it took me a long time to learn how to relax the front part of my body. So if when you just take a deep breath, And if you can, you want your breath to feel like it goes all the way down below your navel, so that when you breathe in, then the area that's inside your hip bones, those, you know, what's it called? Report an error in the passage at 42:25 Highlight the passage at 42:25

42:54 Pelvis, yeah, but there's, anyway, inside the pelvis, like, fills up with air, feels like that. And you can feel it right at your sacrum, too, and where the spine... It hits that sacrum, that whole little area in there. In Chinese exercises, you always work with that. They call it the Dan Tian, which is four finger weights below your navel. So if you can't, and if you can't, it's okay. Report an error in the passage at 42:54 Highlight the passage at 42:54

43:25 Don't stress back. Because once you can breathe from there, Report an error in the passage at 43:25 Highlight the passage at 43:25

43:35 let's just start there. Report an error in the passage at 43:35 Highlight the passage at 43:35

44:00 So then you visualize. That your body is hollow, okay? Report an error in the passage at 44:00 Highlight the passage at 44:00

44:13 And you're going to breathe into your back and Report an error in the passage at 44:13 Highlight the passage at 44:13

44:23 let your breath slowly work its way up your spine so that each time you breathe, you know, you can kind of breathe into different parts of your torso, starting at the base, and work its way up so that you're breathing into your upper back and Report an error in the passage at 44:23 Highlight the passage at 44:23

44:50 feel the breath come up under your collarbones. Report an error in the passage at 44:50 Highlight the passage at 44:50

44:57 And that allows, sometimes you feel your shoulders have to come up a little bit, so you can just let your shoulders come up and then you just drop your shoulders. In fact, do that a couple of times, just breathe up and let your shoulders drop. Report an error in the passage at 44:57 Highlight the passage at 44:57

45:31 And then as you, also then imagine that as you're breathing that the energy also flows up into your head and Report an error in the passage at 45:31 Highlight the passage at 45:31

45:43 your eyes and your third eye, you just kind of touch these places with your mind and your ears. Report an error in the passage at 45:43 Highlight the passage at 45:43

45:58 And notice your face muscles, if they're tight or not. Move your mouth around a little bit and just allow your face to totally relax. Report an error in the passage at 45:58 Highlight the passage at 45:58

46:33 Some of you are probably at Veneral Rene's class, so you probably got pretty good at this, the retreat last month and bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 46:33 Highlight the passage at 46:33

46:47 So then you can take a minute and just kind of move around. You don't have to stay still the whole time you meditate. And just maybe you need to move your neck a little bit or your back a little bit. Maybe you want to roll your head around, probably come straight from work. Report an error in the passage at 46:47 Highlight the passage at 46:47

47:07 out your neck. Report an error in the passage at 47:07 Highlight the passage at 47:07

47:13 Then you can also feel the breathing in the front part in your chest and your breasts. Breathe right up to the front part of your body. You Report an error in the passage at 47:13 Highlight the passage at 47:13

47:33 feel like your whole torso and your head is hollow and full of relaxing space. Report an error in the passage at 47:33 Highlight the passage at 47:33

47:48 But the main breathing is into the belly. You breathe first in the belly and then let it come up your body. Press right up. Report an error in the passage at 47:48 Highlight the passage at 47:48

· · · silence, 1 minute

47:54 Up to your head and then you just relax. Report an error in the passage at 47:54 Highlight the passage at 47:54

· · · silence, 1 minute

48:29 And then feel, become aware of your armpits and your shoulders and then your arms. And imagine now that as you breathe all the way up through your body and then as you exhale, you can imagine that the breath is going down your arms and down your legs, out through your toes and out through the top of your head. Report an error in the passage at 48:29 Highlight the passage at 48:29

49:18 One last place to be aware of is you tuck the chin in slightly and that will open up We hold a lot of tension often in the very, I think they call it the nape of the neck, and it's right where your skull meets your spine. Report an error in the passage at 49:18 Highlight the passage at 49:18

49:38 So just sort of feel like maybe someone's gently kind of like pulling on your head so that it opens up space at the top of your spine. Report an error in the passage at 49:38 Highlight the passage at 49:38

49:51 In fact, you can feel like your whole spine is getting space between each of the vertebrae every time you breathe. Report an error in the passage at 49:51 Highlight the passage at 49:51

· · · silence, 1 minute

51:08 So with one part of your mind you're focused on the breath going in, this whole scenario of filling the body with air and space. Report an error in the passage at 51:08 Highlight the passage at 51:08

51:20 And then when you exhale you just kind of let go of the mind and feel like I said the breath going down your arms and legs and out the top of your head and you can also include your eyes and ears. Report an error in the passage at 51:20 Highlight the passage at 51:20

51:39 So one part of the mind is watching the breath but then there's another part of their mind that's being aware of this hollow body. Report an error in the passage at 51:39 Highlight the passage at 51:39

51:48 And kind of touching with your mind, like your whole body. Report an error in the passage at 51:48 Highlight the passage at 51:48

51:55 Just feeling, you know, your fingers and toes and feeling it coming alive with the breathing into the Dantian. Report an error in the passage at 51:55 Highlight the passage at 51:55

· · · silence, 2 minutes

53:57 Remember it's not static. Be aware if you need to move a little bit. Keep it fluid. Report an error in the passage at 53:57 Highlight the passage at 53:57

54:26 I like also sometimes to get to this neutral state. I like to think, Thich Nhat Hanh has this one, you know, you breathe in. Report an error in the passage at 54:26 Highlight the passage at 54:26

54:35 And I breathe in, I relax. I breathe out, I feel safe. And you don't really have to say the words, we just have to kind of like feel that, you know, as I'm breathing in, I'm relaxing. Breathing out, I feel safe. Report an error in the passage at 54:35 Highlight the passage at 54:35

54:53 Depends on how talkative your mind is. Report an error in the passage at 54:53 Highlight the passage at 54:53

· · · silence, 1 minute

56:04 Other component, it's nice to, as we're setting up the refuge field, so we're going to imagine the Buddha in the space in front of us. Report an error in the passage at 56:04 Highlight the passage at 56:04

56:14 You can make it as elaborate as you want. The Lama in space with the Buddha in the heart, or Buddha with the Lama in the heart. Report an error in the passage at 56:14 Highlight the passage at 56:14

56:24 The syllable hung in his heart. And then around you is your father on the right and mother on your left and all sentient beings. So at this point then it's good to contemplate the plight of sentient beings. Thinking Report an error in the passage at 56:24 Highlight the passage at 56:24

56:57 of how much you want people to be free, all beings being free from suffering and be happy and for yourself. It has to be a heartfelt kind of feeling. Report an error in the passage at 56:57 Highlight the passage at 56:57

57:13 You can think about somebody you know who's suffering or even someone who's really happy, but something that touches your heart and makes you feel like, oh, you know, I want to attain enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 57:13 Highlight the passage at 57:13

57:49 Think about the qualities of the Buddha and the teacher, how they teach regardless of if anybody, you know, gives back to them or not. They don't, you know, there's no bias in their teachings. They teach everyone, limitless compassion for all. Report an error in the passage at 57:49 Highlight the passage at 57:49

58:15 And the fact that a person has worked so hard to attain enlightenment for so long is such an amazing feat. Report an error in the passage at 58:15 Highlight the passage at 58:15

58:29 He is the example of the ultimate doctor. Report an error in the passage at 58:29 Highlight the passage at 58:29

58:38 Also in taking refuge I find it helpful to remember the kindness of the Guru. Think about the teachings that you received and Report an error in the passage at 58:38 Highlight the passage at 58:38

58:56 what they did for you and how you would like all beings to have that taste of liberation. Report an error in the passage at 58:56 Highlight the passage at 58:56

59:14 The Buddha has limitless love, limitless compassion, limitless wisdom, limitless power. Report an error in the passage at 59:14 Highlight the passage at 59:14

59:48 And there's a sort of desire there too, you know, I want that. I want to be Buddha. I want to liberate myself in all Sinai beings. Report an error in the passage at 59:48 Highlight the passage at 59:48

1:00:03 So there's a feeling, it's a feeling not only of compassion but also of aspiration. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:03 Highlight the passage at 1:00:03

1:00:18 And Lama used to use the word penetrate a lot. And I understand it, it's like it, it, it, you've kind of... Penetrate through to your heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:18 Highlight the passage at 1:00:18

1:00:52 So this is a kind of refuge that's not really words, but it's just a feeling, you know. It's this feeling of a combination of aspiration and compassion and a great longing and also a blessing and a peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:52 Highlight the passage at 1:00:52

1:01:13 So in the beginning, you know, if you don't experience that, you just imagine it. And believe me, it will become real. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:13 Highlight the passage at 1:01:13

1:01:25 This is how we create the cause for that. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:25 Highlight the passage at 1:01:25

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:02:52 So it's like we're asking Buddha to help, you know, I need your help. Like when we go to the doctor, you know, I need your help, I need the medicine. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:52 Highlight the passage at 1:02:52

1:03:05 So going for refuge is just like saying, you know, please will you help me. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:05 Highlight the passage at 1:03:05

1:03:12 So we can recite the refuge formula if you want, but you can just listen if you want or you can say it with me. We'll just say it together. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:12 Highlight the passage at 1:03:12

1:03:25 I go for refuge until I'm enlightened. To the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly, by the merits I curate, through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:25 Highlight the passage at 1:03:25

1:03:41 So then we say that one time. We think about what that means. And then we imagine from the Buddha, from his three places, you know, the brow, throat and heart chakras comes into our brow, throat and heart chakras. All kinds of white light. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:41 Highlight the passage at 1:03:41

1:04:13 Like a stream of light. And Kepji Song Rinpoche said that it's not just light but it's also nectar. And so he said it's like, what it's like when you, in San Francisco you know this for sure, when you have your headlights in a fog, that light in the fog is what's coming from the Buddha right now to us and to all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:13 Highlight the passage at 1:04:13

1:04:40 And we just imagine that it's just clearing away. All of our obstacles to realizing the true nature of our own mind, all the obstacles to be able to even look at the relative nature of mind, all the obstacles to generating the six perfections, Report an error in the passage at 1:04:40 Highlight the passage at 1:04:40

1:05:08 just all the obstacles, physical ones, being uncomfortable when we're sitting, Report an error in the passage at 1:05:08 Highlight the passage at 1:05:08

1:05:17 but mostly all the mental obstacles. We may have leisure time, but we have no leisure in our minds. So we're just imagining that the Buddha's light rays are just going in and just taking away all those extraneous thoughts. And every time we breathe in, we fill ourselves up with the power of the Buddha to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:17 Highlight the passage at 1:05:17

1:05:39 And every time we breathe out, our thoughts, we just let go. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:39 Highlight the passage at 1:05:39

1:05:45 So I know in the beginning it's kind of hard to do that, but if you just keep bringing yourself back to your breath, feeling like the blessings of the Buddha is pouring into me, and every time I breathe out, I can just let go into the space. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:45 Highlight the passage at 1:05:45

1:06:00 Of bliss and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:00 Highlight the passage at 1:06:00

1:06:21 And just have faith that it's happening. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:21 Highlight the passage at 1:06:21

1:06:44 If you have a particular obstacle in your life right now, you can focus on that one. Ask by taking refuge for that to be relieved by my breathing in the light. And as I let go, it lets go. Disappears. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:44 Highlight the passage at 1:06:44

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:08:26 So then, we're supposed to do this three times, so let me say it one more time. I go for refuge until I'm enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I curate through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit sentient beings." So again, the light rays come again, white light rays. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:26 Highlight the passage at 1:08:26

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:09:15 Don't forget to be aware of how your body is and keeping it kind of full and buoyant with the breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:15 Highlight the passage at 1:09:15

1:09:51 And as you experience this, you believe that every other sentient being on the planet is also having this experience of Report an error in the passage at 1:09:51 Highlight the passage at 1:09:51

1:10:01 having their minds washed clean, thoughts subsiding. And compassion and wisdom growing with every breath that you breathe. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:01 Highlight the passage at 1:10:01

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:11:14 And the last time, only this time, we're going to visualize golden rays of light pouring into us. I go for refuge until I'm enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:14 Highlight the passage at 1:11:14

1:11:37 We should say, by the merits I create through taking refuge, I become a Buddha. in order to benefit all sentient beings. So this time we imagine that this hollow body we have is completely clean and clear of mental and physical obscurations. So it's just like totally hollow and open and full of love. And as the yellow rays pour in, it's pouring in the entire Lamrim and all the teachings of the great Indian pandits. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:37 Highlight the passage at 1:11:37

1:12:12 Imagine, you know, Aryadeva, Shantideva. Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, Buddhapalita, all these teachings, you know, all the Buddha's teachings, particularly the Heart Sūtra and all the tantras, Report an error in the passage at 1:12:12 Highlight the passage at 1:12:12

1:12:35 even just taking refuge, even just having the foundation which is a mind that can be stable and not full of thoughts. It's pouring into me and Report an error in the passage at 1:12:35 Highlight the passage at 1:12:35

1:12:50 all sentient beings and how wonderful it is. You can just rejoice. It's just so wonderful, amazing. I've met these teachings. They're pouring into me right now through my faith and the power of holy objects and karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:50 Highlight the passage at 1:12:50

1:13:08 I'm creating the cause to not only receive all these teachings but realize all these teachings because I'm headed in that safe direction. I'm taking refuge. This is now the focus of my life as much as possible. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:08 Highlight the passage at 1:13:08

1:13:30 So then it's good to kind of generate, if you can, rejoicing and happiness that this is happening right now. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:30 Highlight the passage at 1:13:30

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:14:50 And bring to mind any gurus, lamas that you have and just feel that blessing from them through the Buddha coming into you. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:50 Highlight the passage at 1:14:50

1:15:03 If you've had any tantric empowerments and you can remember the experience, if you had any experience at the Dharmakaya time or any of those times, use that memory and allow that to be pouring into you again. When Report an error in the passage at 1:15:03 Highlight the passage at 1:15:03

1:15:45 you take refuge you should feel secure and safe. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:45 Highlight the passage at 1:15:45

1:15:58 There's another one of the Thich Nhat Hanh, the one that I like, I think he says, breathe in, I feel love, breathe out, I feel safe. Because so many of us don't feel safe. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:58 Highlight the passage at 1:15:58

1:16:12 So if we can learn to take refuge, we can learn to crawl those anxieties and feel safe. Because, you know, even if we're in front of a firing squad, if we have refuge and we feel safe, then we can die with a happy mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:12 Highlight the passage at 1:16:12

1:16:33 I mean, I'm sure when Jesus was on the cross, He was taking refuge in His way, you know, no problem. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:33 Highlight the passage at 1:16:33

1:16:55 That's why it's important to learn the experience of refuge and to take refuge because it's the foundation of everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:55 Highlight the passage at 1:16:55

1:17:07 So if that one works for you, breathe in, I feel love, breathe out, I feel safe. And Report an error in the passage at 1:17:07 Highlight the passage at 1:17:07

1:17:17 what are we breathing in? We're breathing in all the blessings of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:17 Highlight the passage at 1:17:17

1:17:24 And another thing you can do if you want to elaborate on the visualization is you can... Imagine that as you breathe in, and you're breathing in all the teachings of the Buddha which give you that safety, when you breathe out, you can imagine that those yellow lights, because now we're being full of golden light, Report an error in the passage at 1:17:24 Highlight the passage at 1:17:24

1:17:42 throughout every single pore of our body, so we become like a star, goes out and radiates that light of teaching and safety and compassion to all sentient beings. So it's sort of like our skin becomes, it's like we're a hollow body and our skin is this very thin membrane that's full of holes and all these lights are going out of it in all directions so it completely changes the experience of who you think you are. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:42 Highlight the passage at 1:17:42

1:18:20 And just sort of blast the thoughts of me and I and this and that and just, you know, trade that for this experience of just a hollow body full of blasting light. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:20 Highlight the passage at 1:18:20

1:18:33 And as you breathe in, every time you breathe in it gets brighter and brighter, Report an error in the passage at 1:18:33 Highlight the passage at 1:18:33

1:18:43 more love and more safe, and the bright light starts obliterating the sense of I. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:43 Highlight the passage at 1:18:43

1:18:54 So instead of, you know, I am safe or I am love, there just is love, there just is safe. There's no more I. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:54 Highlight the passage at 1:18:54

· · · silence, 2 minutes

1:21:12 And then we imagine that whatever we've had for our merit field, if you've had more figures and they all dissolve into the central figure, and then he... Or she dissolves and from the top bottom into the very center of the heart. That Report an error in the passage at 1:21:12 Highlight the passage at 1:21:12

1:21:38 is a very, very bright light that is the essence of the Buddha's holy mind, Dharmakaya. You Report an error in the passage at 1:21:38 Highlight the passage at 1:21:38

1:21:57 know, clear light, illusory body, you know, as that, you can have it as the union of bliss and emptiness, the union of compassion and wisdom, Report an error in the passage at 1:21:57 Highlight the passage at 1:21:57

1:22:11 the essence of the Buddha. So then we're going to imagine that this very, very bright light, like a laser light, like a sun, it's about the size of maybe a Report an error in the passage at 1:22:11 Highlight the passage at 1:22:11

1:22:25 sesame seed now, but with the intensity of the sun, comes to the crown of our heads and goes down through our central channel and sits in the very center of the lotus in the center of our chest. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:25 Highlight the passage at 1:22:25

1:22:58 So now, rather than have the focus being outside, we have in the center of our chest, still the Buddha, The essence of Buddha. It's the same thing as we breathe in that seed syllable in our heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:58 Highlight the passage at 1:22:58

1:23:17 It's like a fire, you know, that gets brighter when you breathe in. And as you breathe out, it just makes that whole experience of the yellow lights inside your body. It's like blasting out any cobwebs of obscurations and bringing in all the realizations. It fills your body up with the golden light and out through the pores of your skin. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:17 Highlight the passage at 1:23:17

1:23:39 And out into the universe. And that we're surrounded by more beings doing that. And so it's just like this, if you can imagine it. All these beings sitting there in meditation posture with all this bright light pouring out of them. And their bodies have made a light. And the only thing that separates them is this kind of imaginary membrane. And it's just one big conglomeration of Buddha's holy mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:39 Highlight the passage at 1:23:39

1:24:16 And if this is all too much, still you're just breathing in. And breathing out, just imagining these things are happening. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:16 Highlight the passage at 1:24:16

1:24:46 And it's not a cold experience. When you breathe in, you feel happy. And when you breathe in, you're rejoicing. And when you're breathing in, you feel compassion and love for all beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:46 Highlight the passage at 1:24:46

1:25:01 And that sort of fills up. And then when you exhale, you just let go into space. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:01 Highlight the passage at 1:25:01

1:25:11 No thoughts. I mean, no concept at all. But there's still this feeling of kind of light, bright. Safety, love, with no subjective reference point, which is me. That's kind of gone too. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:11 Highlight the passage at 1:25:11

· · · silence, 3 minutes

1:28:24 Okay, we can relax now. It's kind of a long time. Thank you for your patience. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:24 Highlight the passage at 1:28:24

1:28:31 So now we've taken refuge. Now we can go play tennis. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:31 Highlight the passage at 1:28:31

1:28:38 So we have to read the Heart Sūtra. We haven't started the teaching yet. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:38 Highlight the passage at 1:28:38

1:28:46 So let's look. Can we read the Heart Sūtra? Report an error in the passage at 1:28:46 Highlight the passage at 1:28:46

1:29:03 So try to... Maintain this experience of yourself like that, if you had an experience, while we read the Heart Sūtra. And if you practice like this, especially if you're watching the breathing, that's why the breathing, because there's a lot of Buddhist meditation, that's all they do, is just watch their breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:03 Highlight the passage at 1:29:03

1:29:29 And I don't think we do enough of that. But if you hook it on to the breathing, This kind of feeling, these experiences, then as long as you're aware of your breathing, you can go to that experience. You can be taking refuge all the time. But it takes familiarity. It's something that you have to become familiar with. This is a long time, but if you just do a little bit of something like this in the morning or something and habituate yourself to that spaciousness, then you can sit on the bus and breathe. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:29 Highlight the passage at 1:29:29

1:30:05 And kind of remember that, you know. And so then when we're doing teachings and when we're doing other things, we try to, as long as we're breathing, we can still remember that light and love and those kinds of things, you know. And I don't know if you had any experience, but if you, you know, if you, everything comes with familiarity, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:05 Highlight the passage at 1:30:05

1:30:31 So let's read the Heart Sūtra. I prostrate to the Arya Triple Gym. Thus did I hear at one time, the Bhagawan was dwelling on mass, butchers, mountain, and rush gear together with the great community of monks, the great community of bodhisattvas. At that time, the Bhagawan was absorbed in the concentration of categories of phenomena called profound perception. So at that time, the bodhisattva, Mahasattva, Arya, Avokadishvara, looked upon the very practices of the profound perfection of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:31 Highlight the passage at 1:30:31

1:31:06 And behold, those five gargits also as empty of inherent nature. Then through the power of the Buddha, the Venerable Shariputra said this to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avogadishvara. How should any son of the lineage train? We should practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom. He said that, and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avogadishvara said this to the Venerable Shariputra. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:06 Highlight the passage at 1:31:06

1:31:34 Shriputra, any son of the lineage or daughter of the lineage who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom, should look upon it like this, correctly and repeatedly beholding those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:34 Highlight the passage at 1:31:34

1:31:50 As empty, emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form. Form also is not other than emptiness. In the same way, feelings, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness are empty. Shreipucha, likewise, all phenomena are emptiness, without characteristic, unproduced, unceased, stainless, not without stain, not deficient, not fulfilled. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:50 Highlight the passage at 1:31:50

1:32:16 Shreipucha, therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:16 Highlight the passage at 1:32:16

1:32:26 No eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no visual form, no sound, no odor, no taste, no object of touch, no phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:26 Highlight the passage at 1:32:26

1:32:37 Eye element and so on up to and including no mind element of consciousness. No ignorance, no extinction of ignorance and so on up to and including no aging and death. No extinction of aging and death. Similarly, there is no suffering, origination, cessation and path. There is no exalted wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:37 Highlight the passage at 1:32:37

1:33:03 Shri Pooja, therefore, because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on and dwell in the perfection of wisdom, the mind without obstruction and fear. They completely pass beyond error. They reach the end point of nirvāṇa. All the Buddhas who dwell in the three times also manifestly completely awaken to unsurpassable, perfect, complete enlightenment and reliance on the perfection of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:03 Highlight the passage at 1:33:03

1:33:31 Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequal, the mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering, should be known as the truth since it is not false. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:31 Highlight the passage at 1:33:31

1:34:03 Well Report an error in the passage at 1:34:03 Highlight the passage at 1:34:03

1:34:09 said, well said, a sign of the lineage, it is like that. Like that, one should practice the profound perfection of wisdom, just as you have indicated, even if Tata Gadas rejoice. Tha Om Gathe Gathe Pera Gathe Pera Sam Gathe Bodhisattva. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:09 Highlight the passage at 1:34:09

1:34:00 perfectionism, like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:00 Highlight the passage at 1:34:00

1:34:23 Bhagavan, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, Arila, Abhagrishvara, and those surrounding in their entirety, along with the world of gods, who are overjoyed and highly praised, outspoken by the Bhagavan. And we'll do this at the top of page 81. And we'll stop after we clap. I and all surrounding sentient beings go for refuge to the Buddha, go for refuge to the Dharma, go for refuge to the Saṅgha. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:23 Highlight the passage at 1:34:23

1:34:57 We prostrate to the Great Mother, Prajnaparan, Mita, wisdom gone beyond, surrounded by all the children by the assembly of Buddhas and by bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions. By depending on my prostrations to all of you, may these true words of truth be actualized. In the past, the Devaking Indra dispelled the Maras by reflecting on the profound meaning of the wisdom gone beyond and reciting the profound words in daily excitation. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:57 Highlight the passage at 1:34:57

1:35:28 In that same way, I still reflect on the profound meaning of the Great Mother, Prajnaparamita, and recite the profound words in daily recitation. In all diseases, spirit, possessions, bad conditions, and all naked directions, That would have due to past karma and immediate conditions. May all this be dispelled. May it become non-existent. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:28 Highlight the passage at 1:35:28

1:35:53 May it become pacified. I Report an error in the passage at 1:35:53 Highlight the passage at 1:35:53

1:36:02 think that's enough. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:02 Highlight the passage at 1:36:02

1:36:08 What was that? Report an error in the passage at 1:36:08 Highlight the passage at 1:36:08

1:36:12 Okay, so we're almost half time. And I probably will lead this meditation again tomorrow. I won't talk so much. Because... You know, the thing about Dharma is that you have to do things over and over and over again. But I will read a little bit from Lama. Yes, she's playing on refuge. How's that sound? And then there'll be time for a couple of questions. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:12 Highlight the passage at 1:36:12

1:36:43 So I'm not going to read the whole thing. It's not very long. I mean, we may end up reading the whole thing. But he was talking about first, he said what Lama said is really important. I think I said this in the beginning too, to understand and see that you have your own baby wisdom and compassion, your own baby understanding of emptiness now. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:43 Highlight the passage at 1:36:43

1:37:10 And because it's based on that, that it can grow. And that it's really important to have faith in your already, what you have already, instead of thinking you don't have anything. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:10 Highlight the passage at 1:37:10

1:37:23 Because one of the things that Lama Yeshi was really keenly aware of, because he lived amongst us, Was this, on the outside, this like overconfident, proud cover-up for the inner insecurity and lack of self-esteem that we all have. And so he would penetrate right to that and, you know, don't beat up on yourself. You know, rejoice in the goodness that you have. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:23 Highlight the passage at 1:37:23

1:37:54 You know, we all have Buddha Nature. And focus on that and grow that. Don't worry about all this stuff. Just focus on what you have and make that better. Because we get so hung up on, I'm a mistake, I'm bad. It's just our nature. It's part of our culture. But the funny part is everyone covers it up with his bravado. It's kind of funny. So that's what he was talking about. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:54 Highlight the passage at 1:37:54

1:38:26 He said... You know, to be happy myself, if I act in these directions, I can definitely liberate myself. That's the kind of confidence which we should have. He says, you should see that confidence in taking refuge is actually, it's beyond the intellectual. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:26 Highlight the passage at 1:38:26

1:38:42 Lama's always trying to say that, get beyond the intellectual, get into the feeling, the experience of it, because that's what really transforms your mind. You know, I mean, it's not that we shouldn't study. It's just that study shouldn't be all that we do. Because study is still up in this discursive thought. And a discursive thought isn't very powerful at destroying another discursive thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:42 Highlight the passage at 1:38:42

1:39:05 Because usually our delusions come in the form of emotions. But when you get beyond the intellectual and work on the kind of meditation that we just did, and it's got to be a feeling thing, then when you generate that feeling of love and compassion without an I there... And you do that spacious kind of dance, then when the delusion comes, when you get this habit of breathing, you can breathe and go, oh right, I know what refuge feels like. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:05 Highlight the passage at 1:39:05

1:39:40 It's not that refuge is an intellectual thing, but I actually have a felt sense of refuge. And then that is strong enough to overwhelm an emotion. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:40 Highlight the passage at 1:39:40

1:39:52 Maybe if you're lucky, but there's more of a chance. Than just, you know, oh, I remember taking refuge, blah, blah, blah. You know, it's just this little thought up there. That doesn't have very much power. You know, that's just where we start. That's right. Remember, we're supposed to, what are the three things? What comes if we contemplate? You know, there's contemplate, meditate, analyze, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:52 Highlight the passage at 1:39:52

1:40:16 So, you know, we have the analysis. And we're very good at, you know, it's very nice, good teachings, all the teachings and everything. But you have to sit and digest it. And after you digest it, then you have to focus on it. So that's why you can do the contemplation, oh, the lights are coming and I'm feeling safe. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:16 Highlight the passage at 1:40:16

1:40:36 But then you have to really, Lama used the word penetrate, you have to just really stick with that. Because that's where the transformation comes. We can learn all the words we want, but it won't do us any good at all at the time of death. You're still going to be freaked out. But if you have a... An inner experience of refuge, you can clearly die with a happy mind. You can bear hardship with a happy mind because there's something deeper going on. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:36 Highlight the passage at 1:40:36

1:41:11 To me, this is what Lama was, this is what I got from Lama Yeshi. He said, it is beyond, many people can say intellectually, Buddha is this, Buddha is this, Dharma is this, Saṅgha is this. But somehow Buddha is this, and so I am too. I am Buddha, I have Buddha too, I am too, who's always trying to give us confidence. So he says you have to connect it, you have to connect where I am with Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:11 Highlight the passage at 1:41:11

1:41:42 It can't just be Buddha's out there and I'm over here and I can visualize a thread, but there has to be an experiential connection. You have to have some taste of your own, some confidence in your own ability to transform and be good, because you do. I mean, Chögyam Trungpa talks about basic goodness, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:41:42 Highlight the passage at 1:41:42

1:42:02 You know, we all have an experience of our basic goodness. And that's what's going to go to Buddhahood, you know. I mean, that's the relative. I mean, there's the empty side of it, too. But relatively, we can experience in the conventional realm, you know, we're good people. And a good person can become a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:02 Highlight the passage at 1:42:02

1:42:21 So we have to have a pathway, you know, that relates directly to ourselves. Right? So then, so that's how we talked about Buddha, you know. So when he talks about Dharma, I'll stop there because we have tomorrow too. But I'll say Dharma and then I'll stop. He says, okay, Dharma, he says, Dharma is the wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:21 Highlight the passage at 1:42:21

1:42:46 Clean, clear one is the Dharma. Confused one is not Dharma. Confused maybe prayer or ritual is not Dharma. Any action which produces more confusion, more dissatisfaction, it may look like religious aspect. But it is not Dharma. So he goes on to say to things like, marcha aren't Dharma, tankas aren't Dharma, robes aren't Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:46 Highlight the passage at 1:42:46

1:43:12 Dharma is an experience. And we can make so... Trungpa Rinpoche used to talk about spiritual materialism. We can get so tripped out of all this stuff that it just becomes about that. And who's got the best robes? And who's got the greatest guru? And who's got the this? And it's just who we are. So he says... Report an error in the passage at 1:43:12 Highlight the passage at 1:43:12

1:43:32 So Americans have an advantage because of their ruthless culture to cut through that because the Tibetans are much more involved in it even. And so he says it's very important to know Dharma. It's not easy. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:32 Highlight the passage at 1:43:32

1:43:50 He said it doesn't matter what your name is, if you're a yogi or a gini or a geshi or a lama, it doesn't matter. He says that has nothing to do with Dharma. You can be a great lama and have nothing to do with Dharma. You know, you can just be full of worldly dharmas. He didn't say that, I said that, but that's kind of explaining what he's talking about. So he says, to really know Dharma is really difficult, because it isn't the words. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:50 Highlight the passage at 1:43:50

1:44:20 He said, I think we have a long way to go. He says, the book is not the Dharma. What we have here is a book. The art is not the Dharma. Taita om muni muni is not Dharma. So what is Dharma? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:20 Highlight the passage at 1:44:20

1:44:35 You see, to practice Dharma you take a great deal of responsibility as a serious thing. He says, understanding, knowing better one's own inner nature, one's own capacity or potential, which is the highest destination, not only the capacity for drinking coffee. So what he's trying to get back again is our own Buddha nature, that we need to find our own potential for enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:35 Highlight the passage at 1:44:35

1:45:07 Do you guys ever have the teachings on Buddha Nature? What's it called? Yeah. Have you had teaching on Tara Tantra? Did Geshe give you teaching on? Report an error in the passage at 1:45:07 Highlight the passage at 1:45:07

1:45:22 Yeah. But it's very cool. I mean, that's what he's talking about here. You know, I mean, the idea, I mean, because I had it like in 1986, so I can't remember. But remember all the similes, you know, for like the Buddha in the mud and the thing wrapped in the cloth. And I can't remember what all the metaphors are, but... Report an error in the passage at 1:45:22 Highlight the passage at 1:45:22

1:45:41 It's like that. And we have to believe that inside of all this delusion, there is that potential. And that's why the Guru and the Buddha is so important, because they point that out to us. I mean, a really good Lama will point that out to you. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:41 Highlight the passage at 1:45:41

1:46:03 So, yeah, I hope there's been some benefit here. And we have two more sessions. know, so I they're still there. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:03 Highlight the passage at 1:46:03

1:46:14 General Chucky requested that we, since we're doing a Lama Yeshi weekend, that we do, he wrote a Vajrasoppa Sok. She asked me before we knew that Geshe-la was coming to do Lama Choppa in the evening. Unfortunately, we have to go to Vajrapani right after the afternoon session, so I would love to stay and do Sok with Geshe-soppa. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:14 Highlight the passage at 1:46:14

1:46:38 I mean, he's like Geshe-soppa to me. You know, those great Geshe's, they're all kind of, you know, the same thing. You know, they're little Buddhas there. but so Report an error in the passage at 1:46:38 Highlight the passage at 1:46:38

1:46:50 But the Vajrasatva Sog, it doesn't take very long and it's a chantable version so you can record it and use it and it's nice. And one thing that Lama said too, and I don't think very many people know that, you can change it and put, he said you can put any deity in there. So you can make it Tara Sog and just say Om Tari Chitari Tori Soha. You can make it Hayagriva Sog, you can make it Manjushri Sog, you just change the deity but keep everything, the rest. And I've done that. It's quite nice. I've done it as Tara. It's kind of nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:50 Highlight the passage at 1:46:50

1:47:26 Particularly if you have people who aren't familiar with Vajrasafran, that's a really long mantra. You could do Chinrisi, and do like 21 Omani Bim Hoons or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:26 Highlight the passage at 1:47:26

1:47:41 Anyway, it's only about five pages, this whole little thing. So. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:41 Highlight the passage at 1:47:41

1:47:45 I remember the person I loaned the tape to, and I loaned it to them almost 15 years ago, but I thought I'd write them and see if, out of any odd coincidence, they might still have it. Because if Nick doesn't have it, where is it? And Vajrapani doesn't have it. And I remember getting a copy of it, because it's a really great talk. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:45 Highlight the passage at 1:47:45

1:48:10 It's just funny how things disappear. So we need to do dedications now. Dedications are in the white book on page six. Oh, great. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:10 Highlight the passage at 1:48:10

1:48:24 You can do them in either English or Tibetan. I will do it in English. I think six in the beginning. What is this? I'm just curious what this is. Yeah, there are more pages. Excerpt from the Sūtra of Golden Light. What excerpt is it? What part is it? Do you know what part it is? Report an error in the passage at 1:48:24 Highlight the passage at 1:48:24

1:48:45 Oh, I'm good. I'm just looking at your book, admiring your book. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:45 Highlight the passage at 1:48:45

1:48:53 I get easily distracted. It's okay. There are lots of page numbers in this book. Yeah. Okay, well, since we're doing Lama, we'll do the first two in Tibet, in Gewa Di, and then the last two in English, okay? Report an error in the passage at 1:48:53 Highlight the passage at 1:48:53

1:49:11 Gewa Di Just Report an error in the passage at 1:49:11 Highlight the passage at 1:49:11

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:50:17 as Report an error in the passage at 1:50:17 Highlight the passage at 1:50:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:50:59 the brave Manjushri and Samantabhadra too realize things as they are. Also I dedicate all these merits in the best way, and I may follow their perfect example. I dedicate all these roots of virtue, the dedication praised the best, by the victorious thus gone once of the three times, so that I might perform the noble Bodhisattva's deeds. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:59 Highlight the passage at 1:50:59

1:51:25 Gangri-ra-we-kor-we-shin-kam-de-pan-dan-de-wa-ma-lu-jung-we-ne. -re-si-gwang-ten-zen-gyat-so-yi-pe-si-te-var-du-te May Report an error in the passage at 1:51:25 Highlight the passage at 1:51:25

1:51:55 my Venerable Lama's life be firm, his white divine action spread in the ten directions. May the torch of the teachings of Lhamsong always remain, dispeling the darkness of all beings in the three realms. I dedicate whatever virtues I have collected for the benefit of the teachings and of sentient beings, and in particular for the essential teachings of Venerable Osongkhapa to shine forever. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:55 Highlight the passage at 1:51:55

1:52:21 We also dedicate for the success of this center, for more people to come and more money to come, and for all the FPMT projects, and for Lama Tsongkhapa Rinpoche's long life and good health, and for pure Dharma to flourish. In this city, in this state, in this country and in this world. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:21 Highlight the passage at 1:52:21

1:52:48 I recollecting that the act of dedicating is totally empty. Myself is empty. The merit is empty and the act of giving it to sentient beings is completely empty. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:48 Highlight the passage at 1:52:48

1:53:20 It arises all independence upon itself. I tried to point out where is the actual dedication. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:20 Highlight the passage at 1:53:20

1:53:36 Relatively existing but ultimately limitless. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:36 Highlight the passage at 1:53:36

1:53:57 We rejoice how wonderful it is that we get to dedicate sealed with emptiness and remember the great qualities of Lama Yeshe and take refuge and be together and make the world a better place and knowing that we will all eventually become Buddhas one day. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:57 Highlight the passage at 1:53:57

1:54:18 Pretty awesome, isn't it? Report an error in the passage at 1:54:18 Highlight the passage at 1:54:18

1:54:22 Just don't give up. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:22 Highlight the passage at 1:54:22

1:54:28 Okay, thank you all. It's nice to see you. And we're back here at 10 o 'clock. Let people know that we'll have two sessions tomorrow, so there'll be a lunch break, and everybody can kind of enjoy lunch on Ocean Avenue somewhere, and if we want to do something together, we can, but there won't be lunch here. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:28 Highlight the passage at 1:54:28

1:54:48 There was something about a Vietnamese restaurant. Yeah, there's a Vietnamese restaurant. It's a small enough group. We could probably all go have lunch, and then... Report an error in the passage at 1:54:48 Highlight the passage at 1:54:48

1:54:56 I didn't finish the Vajra Soak for Soak, so I thought we would do it right after lunch. Oh, okay. And so if you want to bring, we can do Soak twice, how about that? So if you want to bring a few offerings, we can do some Soak. And if you had questions about tonight, just hold them. We will get to questions if you want to write it down or something. Sorry, we're just out of time. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:56 Highlight the passage at 1:54:56

1:55:23 So thanks again. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:23 Highlight the passage at 1:55:23